King's Voices
0About King's Voices
King's Voices is the mixed-voice choir of King's College, Cambridge and was founded in October 1997 under the direction of Dr John Butt (Director of Studies for Music at King's, 1997-2001) to give the women of King's the opportunity to contribute vocally to the musical life of the College. Our current Director is Simon Brown, Director of Music at King's College School. Our main duty is to sing Evensong in the Chapel every Monday during term when the main choir have a day off! In addition to our regular fixture, we we also fill in for the chapel choir when needed, sing in the College's May Week concert, perform sacred and secular music at formal dinners and numerous other concerts and performances in the local area. For example, in the last academic year we have taken part in charity carol singing events in Cambridge town centre, performed concerts in parish churches at Elveden, Long Melford and Wretham, been booked for weddings, sung the day's services at St George's Chapel, Windsor (ably accompanied by Wayne Marshall on the organ) and taken part in concerts alongside KCMS (singing Cherubini's Requiem and part three of Handel's Messiah). A close harmony group was formed in 2003 under the direction of Simon Brown, which sings a wide range of secular music at concerts and formal dinners during and outside term. Since 2001 the choir has travelled and performed abroad on an annual basis, the trip usually taking place early during the Easter vacation. Previous tours have included Cologne, Florence, Venice, Paris, Amsterdam, Bruseels, and, most recently, Rome. Members of the choir have enjoyed these outings, and it gives the choir a set of different acoustic surroundings than the long resonances of the college chapel. Such tours have been in the past generously subsidised by the college, and seem likely to be so for the coming years. All members of the choir are offered subsidies for singing lessons and most are offered Choral Exhibitions within a year of joining the choir. The Director holds auditions for prospective members at the start of October each year. The choir is open to all members of King's College, but provision is also made for singers from outside King's, should spaces be available!